Internal medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with a very wide scope of diseases to diagnose and treat, by addressing them from a medical perspective as opposed a the purely surgical.
What does an internist do?
An internist takes care of patients suffering from pathological, autoimmune, allergic, gastroenterological, and rheumatological disorders, and all other issues of general medicine that do not require a surgical approach.
The doctor assesses the state of health of the patient considering both the physical and psychological aspects, analyzing the symptoms and signs present in all organs. The doctor then prescribes any analysis or therapy with multiple drugs to treat different diseases or, if necessary, directs the patient to a more suitable specialist.
What diseases are treated by an internist?
Among the diseases treated by this doctor are liver disorders, metabolic disorders of hormonal and immune nature, infections, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, diseases that affect the lungs, kidneys or blood, and tumors.
What are the procedures used by an internist?
An internist collects the medical history of the patient and performs a physical examination assessing the possible need for treatment. Among the procedures used most often by this specialist are the doppler ultrasound, echography, hemodialysis, holter monitor, spirometry, glucose test, hydrogen breath test, urea breath test and diabetes, endocrinological, gastroenterologic, and rheumatology tests.
When should a patient visit an internist?
A visit is recommended if a patient wants or needs a comprehensive assessment of their physical or mental condition. Typically a general practitioner will direct the patient to an internist, having already prescribed tests that may be useful to the specialist.
